Although every pond and lake is different and has a different set of requirments for maintenence, there are still come general best practices to keep in mind when making decisions and maintaining a pond or lake. To see a fact sheet about private ponds, click here. When putting in a major addition such as a dock, planting, fish stocking, or fountain, it is heavily advised that you consult an expert to see if the addition is legal, will damage the water body, or if the water bodyis healthy enough to sustain the addition. There many cases where ponds or lakes aren't in a state to sustain fish and other cases where a major addition to the water body could be catastrophic for the ecosystem and be a pain to fix. To read the guidelines for fish stocking, click here.